Nobody would really expect that Christmas time is the busiest tourist season in the Alsace region. But it definitely is. For in the Alsace region, people have continued to celebrate an old German tradition: the famous „CHRISTKINDLMÄRIK“ which means Christmas market in Alsatian.
In the rest of France, this tradition is not celebrated at all. It remains a unique feature of the Alsace region (remember Alsace’s past German history). Therefore, it s not only the French tourists that love to come to visit Alsace in this beautiful season but also many other international guests. They love to come and see the famous grand Christmas markets in Strasbourg City, Colmar City and the smaller ones in the wine villages along the famous Alsatian wine route. Guests from overseas that do not have this tradition in their home country enjoy the advent time in Alsace region immensely.
It is also the Germans, the Swiss and the Austrians who love to experience the Alsatian Christmas market tradition, despite having their own. The Alsace Christmas markets are just very special and unique. With beautiful, bright and somewhat peculiar Christmas decorations on the house facades, the Christmas markets regale visitors with history and charm. Christmas stands with typical Christmas products and hot mulled wine plus the famous Christmas cookies which in Alsatian are called „BREDELE“ invite visitors to relax and enjoy the special Christmas spirit which hangs in the brisk air.
It is truely a special and unique experience to see these beautiful illuminated places in Alsace during advent time. In Strasbourg, the Christmas market season is sometimes prolonged to New Year’s Eve, so that more guests and locals alike can enjoy the atmosphere in town during the week between Christmas and New Year’s Day, during which most people take off from work and tend to have a holiday with their families.
Christmas market tours in general have become very popular in both the Black Forest and Alsace region in the past years.
So, I leave it up to you to decide which region you would like to check out during advent time. My recommendation: try to avoid the weekends if possible because they are usually extremely packed, in fact, that it is no longer fun to stroll through the Christmas markets anymore – unless of course you do not mind huge crowds.
you would like to do a tour with me and experience one of these typical towns during this very special time of the year?